The carbonation off of a hard pour gives a quick, cascading effect to the head, and what a head it is--a huge rocky, bubbly mass that has some great clinging action on the glass. Nearly all of the way black with dark brown on the edges. Mild charred grain, faint smoke, charcoal, dark-roasted coffee and a little bit of black currant in the aroma. So damn smooth, we're not sure if a beer could be any more smooth. Creamy medium body. Heavy amount of mocha flavor here, with a more cocoa powder and medium-roasted coffee mix. The hops are on too, balancing and throwing some flavor at the taste buds with herbal and faint tobacco flavors. Hint of black currant and chocolate cake batter in the middle. Dry finish with mineral and charred wood flavors.

Jam-packed with flavor and very drinkable, too drinkable if there is such a thing. Ballast Point gives the American Porter respect. (933 characters)

More User Reviews:

Poured into an imperial pint glass a deep dark chocolate brown with ruby highlights a nicely formed 1/2 finger tannish colored head atop.Earthy aromas with some bitter chocolate and mild molasses,it's an American porter that's for sure.Starts out semi sweet with caramel, molasses,and cocoa notes, than a rush of earthy smokiness takes over in a lingering finish.Top notch,I would even say a standard for the "American" style of a porter with it's big hopped up earthy finish,just great. (487 characters)

Pours into a pint glass a rubied obsidian with a thick and moderately lasting brown head. Well above average appearance. Great aroma. Pungent, consisting mostly of bitter chocolate and citrus hops. Coffee too. It is exactly what I look for in a good porter. Taste is quite nice as well, with the exception of a mild booziness that becomes prominent as the beer warms. Other than that, this beer is just fine. Flavor includes tons of chocolate, hints of coffee, and perhaps just a pinch of vanilla. The roasted dark malt character is deep, pervasive, and unyielding in its intensity. Mouthfeel and texture are very nice. This is a full but not filling beer. It is slick, balanced, and light enough on the carbonation to give it some creaminess. Hopping is well done to create a dry, moderately bitter finish. Very nice. One of the best example of the style Ive had in some time. (917 characters)

A great beer all across the board. My friend highly recommended this one to me and said it had been around for awhile but was just now being bottled. The pour was nice and the beer was near pitch black with a good size brownish head. The smells were nice and burnt with a touch of hops in the scent. The taste was excelent and very drinkable with a very dry chocolaty flavor and nicley carbonated mouthfeel. My only challange now is to find more of this stuff! (460 characters)

Pours into my glass a deep dark brown with garnet highlights and a quarter inch of light tan foam on top that leaves sticky lacing on the glass. Aromas of dark roasted malts with a bit of a burnt accent. Hints of chocolate and coffee meld in with a nice hoppy character as well.

First sip brings smooth roasted dark malts with a touch of a burnt flavor. Smoky chocolate and coffee tones move down into a nice kick of hop bitterness. Lingering bitter roast on the finish. Pretty tasty porter.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and smooth. Good carbonation making this an easy drinking porter. Hops work well in here and the only thing I'm not really digging is a lingering bitter roast on the finish. I haven't had many west coast porters but this is quite tasty and I wouldn't mind drinking it again. Cheers to Ballast Point. (821 characters)

Black, but shows dark crimson highlights when held up to the light. Very small head on the pour, mocha in color, but reduced to barely a skim layer.

Dark toasted malts really come through. Chocolate brownies are the predominant aroma. A little hopping as well. Has a touch of lactose. Pretty nice aroma, quite inviting and definitely more dominant that other porters Ive had.

Fairly assertive flavor, again lots of dark toasted malts. A bit of coffee and toffee play into this. I find this like a toned down stout. A little bitter and astringent in the end, but nothing that detracts. After the swallow the dark toasted malt flavors just seem to hang on in the back of the throat.

Good mouthfeel, medium bodied. Lower carbonation levels fit in well. Coats the mouth well and the flavor lingers.

Good overall drinkability too. I really wanted something easy to drink tonight that was a bit roasty and this fits the bill well. Just a good, solid beer in all the categories. (985 characters)